Siege of Furth im Wald

The Siege of Furth im Wald occurred in early 1618 during the Bohemian Revolt, when a Protestant Bohemian army under Wilhelm von Lobkowitz laid siege to the Bavarian border town of Furth in Wald at the start of the Bohemian Revolt. The Bohemians captured the small fortress, only to abandon it and continue their invasion of the upper Palatinate.

Background
In 1618, the Protestant estates of Bohemia rose in rebellion against the Catholic Habsburgs, starting the Bohemian Revolt and the Thirty Years' War. Bohemia's armies were small and were forced to defend four frontiers, as they were bordered by the Archduchy of Austria to the south and Austrian-held Silesia to the north, the neutral but staunchly Catholic nation of Poland-Lithuania to the east, and hostile Bavaria and the Catholic League to the west. In addition, the Catholics of Bavaria grew restless due to the Protestant nobles' initiation of a religious war against the Holy Roman Empire, and Catholic riots broke out in Iglau (200 civilians and 4 soldiers killed), Reichenberg (400 civilians and 13 soldiers killed), Eger (700 civilians and 19 soldiers killed), and Brunn (300 civilians and 24 soldiers killed). The cities of Brunn and Eger went on to expel their Protestant garrisons and raise Catholic banners, entering into a state of rebellion.

At the start of the conflict, one of the few sizeable Bohemian armies, led by Wilhelm von Lobkowitz, marched south into the Upper Palatinate, a Bavarian possession. The Bohemians aimed to forestall a Bavarian invasion by marching south from the border town of Taus to capture the minor city of Furth im Wald from its small garrison, led by Udo der Fahnentrager.

Siege
The Bohemians began the battle with an artillery bombardment of the city gates; when this proved ineffective, they instead sent a battering ram to destroy the gate as their cannon attacked the Bavarian soldiers on the walls. The Bohemians battered down the walls before their troops funneled into the city, with some Bavarian defenders on the walls pouring down burning oil onto the charging soldiers below. Nevertheless, the Bavarian soldiers at the gates decided to flee instead of fight, and 105 of them were captured by the Bohemians. The Bavarian infantry rallied to their general in the town square, where they fought to the death alongside their commander. The battle left 360 Bohemians and 41 Bavarians dead, but the Bohemians succeeded in capturing the minor city, removing a threat to southern Bohemia.

Aftermath
Furth's fall was the first Bohemian victory of the war, and it allowed for Lobkowitz's army to march on the Danube River fortress of Deggendorf, which was placed under siege a few months later.